Northwestern researcher Andrew Hunt has been selected as a 2023 Schmidt Science Fellow.
The Schmidt Fellows Program sponsors promising, emerging scientists with post-doctoral placement in internationally renowned labs where their research will be an academic pivot from previous studies, therefore promoting an intersectional approach to finding solutions to pressing issues like climate change, food insecurity and biodiversity loss.
“Andrew embodies the driving principles of the Schmidt Fellowship. He is simultaneously a cutting-edge research scientist, a committed mentor to students of all backgrounds and an ethically driven environmentalist,” said Elizabeth Lewis Pardoe, director of the Office of Fellowships. “Moving first east from the Rockies to the Great Lakes and then west to the San Francisco Bay, Andrew’s immersion in local culture and geography fuels his work while he fosters others’ well-being.”
Previous to his Schmidt Science Fellowship, Hunt was a fellow in the Brady Program in Ethics and Civic Life, an undergraduate dedicated to values of fairness and freedom.
An Albuquerque native, Hunt’s scientific career began as a student at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology where he earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. At Northwestern, Hunt’s Ph.D. was supervised by Michael Jewett in the department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, his research on protein production leading to therapeutic discoveries for the treatment of Covid-19. Hunt successfully defended his dissertation in April of 2022.
Along with a $100,000 stipend for living expenses, the Schmidt Science program affords fellows with intentional mentorship opportunities, a life-long community and connections to a sprawling network of global leaders in the sciences. A purposeful deviation from his past research, Hunt looks forward to designing new enzymes capable of breaking down plastic waste, a major challenge for human and ecological health.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Schmidt Science Fellows community of interdisciplinary researchers and look forward to leveraging the fellowship to further the positive impacts of my work,” Hunt said.
Students interested in learning more about the Schmidt Science Fellowship should contact Northwestern’s Office of Fellowships.